| Keywords |
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| ID |
5878 |
| Text |
De gubernatione dei (439 - 451) Salvian of Marseilles |
| Quotation |
Interim quia duo superius barbarorum genera vel sectas esse memoravimus, paganorum atque haereticorum... Eadem, inquis, legunt illi quae leguntur a nobis. Quomodo eadem, quae
ab auctoribus quondam malis et male sunt interpolata et male tradita? ac per hoc jam non eadem, quia non possunt penitus dici ipsa quae sunt in aliqua sui parte vitiata. Incolumitatem enim non habent quae plenitudinem perdiderunt, nec statum suum omnino servant quae sacramentorum virtute privata sunt. Nos ergo tantum Scripturas sacras plenas, inviolatas, integras habemus, qui eas vel in fonte suo bibimus, vel certe de purissimo fonte haustas per ministerium
purae translationis haurimus. Nos tantummodo bene legimus. Atque utinam quam bene legimus, tam bene adimpleremus! Sed vereor quod qui non bene observamus, nec bene lectitemus: quia minor reatus est sancta non legere, quam lecta violare. Caeterae quippe nationes aut non habent legem Dei, aut debilem et convulneratam habent; ac per hoc, ut diximus, non habent quae sic habent. Nam etsi qui gentium barbararum sunt qui in libris suis minus videantur Scripturam sacram interpolatam habere vel laceram, habent tamen veterum magistrorum
traditione corruptam, ac per hoc traditionem potius quam Scripturam habent, quia hoc non retinent quod veritas legis suadet, sed quod pravitas malae traditionis inseruit. Barbari quippe homines, Romanae, immo potius humanae eruditionis expertes, qui
nihil omnino sciunt nisi quod a doctoribus suis audiunt; quod audiunt, hoc sequuntur: ac sic necesse est eos qui totius litteraturae ac scientiae ignari, sacramentum divinae legis doctrina magis quam lectione cognoscunt, doctrinam potius retinere quam legem. Itaque eis traditio magistrorum suorum et doctrina inveterata quasi lex est, quia hoc sciunt tantummodo quod docentur. Haeretici ergo sunt, sed non scientes. Denique apud nos sunt haeretici, apud se non sunt. Nam in tantum se catholicos esse judicant, ut nos ipsos titulo haereticae appellationis infament. Quod ergo illi nobis sunt, hoc nos illis. Nos eos injuriam divinae generationi facere certi sumus, quod minorem Patre Filium dicant. Illi nos injuriosos Patri existimant, quia aequales esse credamus. Veritas apud nos est, sed illi apud se esse praesumunt. Honor Dei apud nos est, sed illi hoc arbitrantur honorem divinitatis esse quod credunt. Inofficiosi sunt, sed illis hoc est summum religionis officium. Impii sunt, sed hoc putant veram esse pietatem. Errant ergo, sed bono animo errant, non odio, sed affectu Dei, honorare se Dominum atque amare credentes. Quamvis non habeant rectam fidem, illi tamen hoc perfectam Dei aestimant charitatem.
Qualiter pro hoc ipso falsae opinionis errore in die judicii puniendi sint, nullus potest scire nisi judex. Interim idcirco eis, ut reor, patientiam Deus commodat, quia videt eos, etsi non recte credere, affectu tamen piae opinionis errare; maxime cum sciat eos ea facere quae nesciunt, nostros autem negligere quod credunt: ac per hoc illos magistrorum peccare vitio, nostros suo; illos ignorantes, nostros scientes; illos id facere quod putent rectum, nostros quod sciant esse perversum. Et ideo justo judicio illos patientia Dei sustinet, et nos animadversione castigat; quia ignosci aliquatenus ignorantiae potest, contemptus veniam non meretur. Sic enim scriptum est: Servus qui nescit voluntatem domini sui, et non facit eam, vapulabit paucis. Qui autem scit eam, et non facit eam, vapulabit multis.
III. ... Omnes autem isti de quibus loquimur, aut Vandali sunt aut Gothi. Nam de Romanis haereticis, quorum innumera multitudo est, nihil dicimus, neque aut Romanis eos aut barbaris comparamus, quia et infidelitate Romanis sunt deteriores, et foeditate vitae barbaris turpiores. Sed hoc nos non solum non juvat, sed etiam supra id quod a nobis ipsis gravamur gravat, quia et ii quos tales causamur esse, Romani sunt. Unde intelligere possumus quid mereatur omnis Romana respublica, cum pars Romanorum offendat Deum vita, pars et infidelitate pariter et vita. Salvo eo quod etiam ipsae quondam haereses barbarorum de Romani magisterii pravitate fluxerunt, ac perinde etiam hoc nostrum crimen est, quod populi barbarorum haeretici esse coeperunt.
IV. Porro autem quantum ad conversatioem Gothorum aut Vandalorum pertinet, quid est in quo eis aut praeponere nos aut etiam comparare possimus? Ac primum ut de affectu et charitate dicam quam praecipuam Dominus docet esse virtutem, et quam non solum per omnes Scripturas sacras, sed etiam per se ipse commendat dicens: In hoc scietur quod discipuli mei estis, si vos invicem diligatis omnes se fere barbari, qui modo sunt unius gentis et regis, mutuo amant, omnes pene Romani se mutuo persequuntur.
...
V. ... Inter haec vastantur pauperes, viduae gemunt, orphani proculcantur, in tantum ut multi eorum et non obscuris natalibus editi et liberaliter instituti ad hostes fugiant, ne persecutionis publicae afflictione moriantur; quaerentes scilicet apud barbaros Romanam humanitatem, quia apud Romanos barbaram inhumanitatem ferre non possunt. Et quamvis ab his ad quos confugiunt discrepent ritu, discrepent lingua, ipso etiam, ut ita dicam, corporum atque induviarum barbaricarum fetore dissentiant, malunt tamen in barbaris pati cultum dissimilem, quam in Romanis injustitiam saevientem. Itaque passim vel ad Gothos, vel ad
Bacaudas, vel ad alios ubique dominantes barbaros migrant, et commigrasse non poenitet. Malunt enim sub specie captivitatis vivere liberi, quam sub specie libertatis esse captivi. Itaque nomen civium Romanorum, aliquando non solum magno aestimatum, sed magno emptum, nunc ultro repudiatur ac fugitur; nec vile tantum, sed etiam abominabile pene habetur. Et quod esse majus testimonium Romanae iniquitatis potest, quam quod plerique et honesti et nobiles, et quibus Romanus status summo et splendori esse debuit et honori, ad hoc tamen Romanae iniquitatis crudelitate compulsi sunt ut nolint esse Romani? Et hinc est quod etiam hi qui ad barbaros non confugiunt, barbari tamen esse coguntur: scilicet ut est pars magna Hispanorum, et non minima Gallorum, omnes denique quos per universum Romanum orbem fecit Romana iniquitas jam non esse Romanos. |
| Translation |
I have already mentioned above that there are two
kinds of sects of barbarians: pagans and heretics. ... You say they read the same writings which are read by
us. How are those writings the same which are badly interpolated and badly translated by authors formerly evil?
Therefore they are not the same, because those things can-
not be said to be whole which are corrupted in any part.
Writings which have lost their fullness are lacking in perfection, and those writings do not preserve their complete value
which are deprived of the power of being holy. Only we,
therefore, have the Sacred Scriptures full, uncorrupted, and
complete. We either imbibe them at their source or assuredly
drink them drawn from the purest source through the medium of correct translation. Only we read them well, and
would that we fulfilled them as well as we read them!
But I am afraid that we do not observe them well, do not
read them with attention either, because there is less guilt
in not reading the Holy Scriptures than in violating them
after having read them. To be sure, the other nations either do not have the Law of God, or they have it in a weakened
and maimed way, and, therefore, as I have said, they have
it in such a manner that they do not have it at all. For, if
there are any barbarian nations who in their books seem
to have the Holy Scriptures less interpolated or torn into
shreds than others, nevertheless they have them as they were
corrupted by the tradition of their old teachers. Therefore,
they have tradition rather than Scripture. They do not keep
what the truth of the Law teaches, but what the wickedness
of a bad tradition has inserted.
Indeed, the barbarians, being deficient especially of Roman more than educational tradition, know nothing unless
they hear it from their teachers. Thus, they follow what they
hear, and they who are ignorant of all literature and know-
ledge and know the mystery of the divine Law by teaching
rather than by reading must necessarily retain the teaching rather than the Law. Thus, to them, the tradition of
their teachers and their long-standing teaching are, so to say,
law for them because they know only what they are taught.
Therefore, they are heretics, but not heretics knowingly.
Indeed, with us they are heretics, but in their own opinion
they are not. So much do they judge themselves Catholics
that they defame us with the title of heresy. What they are
to us, therefore, we are to them. We are certain that they do
injury to the divine begetting because they say the Son is
less than the Father. They think we injure the Father be-
cause we believe the Father and Son are equal. We possess
the truth, but they think they have it. We honor the God-
head, but they think their belief is the honor of His divinity.
They are unobservant of their obligations, but to them
this is the highest duty of their religion. They are ungodly,
but they think that is true godliness. Therefore, they are in
error, but they err with a good heart, not in hatred but in love of God, believing that they honor and love God. Although they possess not the true faith, they think they possess
the perfect love of God. In what manner, for this erroneous
and false belief, they are to be punished on the day of judgment, nobody can know but the Judge.
I think God bears patiently with them in the meantime
because He sees that, although their belief is incorrect, they
err through the acceptance of a seemingly correct opinion.
He knows that they act in this manner because they are ignorant. However, He knows that our people neglect their
own beliefs. Therefore, the barbarians sin through the wickedness of their teachers, but we through our own wickedness. They sin through ignorance; we, through knowledge.
They do what they think is right; we, what we know is
wrong. Therefore, with just judgment the patience of God
sustains them, but reproachfully chastises us, because ignorance can be overlooked for a time, but contempt does not
deserve pardon. For so is it written: 6 'the servant who knows
not the will of his Lord, and does not do it, shall be beaten
with few stripes. But he who knows and does not do it, shall
be beaten with many stripes.'
3. ... But all those of whom I speak are either Vandals or Goths.
I say nothing about the Roman heretics, of whom there is
a huge multitude. Nor do I compare the latter either with
the other Romans or the barbarians, because they are worse
than the Romans through their lack of faith and more base
than the barbarians in the foulness of their lives. This not
only does not help us, but, even beyond that, it grieves us
that we are hurt by our own people, because those whom
I say are like this are Romans. Hence, we can understand
what the whole Roman state deserves when one group of
the Romans offend God by their way of living; another by
their lack of faith as well as their way of living. Furthermore,
even the very heresies of the barbarians at one time stemmed
from the perverseness of a Roman teacher; hence, it is even
our crime that the barbarian peoples began to be heretics.
4. Furthermore, insofar as it pertains.to the way of
life among the Vandals and Goths, in what way are we better than they, or can even be compared with them? First,
let me speak of their love and charity which the Lord teach-
es is the chief of virtues and which He not only commends
throughout Sacred Scriptures but even in His own words:
'by this shall it be known that you are my disciples, that
you love one another.' Almost all barbarians, at least those
who are of one tribe under one king, love one another; almost all Romans persecute each other.
...
5. ... All the while, the poor are despoiled, the widows groan,
the orphans are tread underfoot, so much so that many of
them, and they are not of obscure birth and have received
a liberal education, flee to the enemy lest they die from the
pain of public persecution. They seek among the barbarians the dignity of the Roman because they cannot bear
barbarous indignity among the Romans. Although these
Romans differ in religion and language from the barbarians to whom they flee, and differ from them in respect to
filthiness of body and clothing, nevertheless, as I have said,
they prefer to bear among the 'barbarians a worship unlike their own rather than rampant injustice among the Romans.
Thus, far and wide, they migrate either to the Goths or
to the Bagaudae, or to other barbarians everywhere in
power; yet they do not repent having migrated. They prefer to live as freemen under an outward form of captivity
than as captives under an appearance of liberty. Therefore,
the name of Roman citizens, at one time not only greatly
valued but dearly bought, is now repudiated and fled from,
and it is almost considered not only base but even deserving of abhorrence.
And what can be a greater testimony of Roman wickedness than that many men, upright and noble and to whom
the position of being a Roman citizen should be considered
as of the highest splendor and dignity, have been driven by
the cruelty of Roman wickedness to such a state of mind
that they do not wish to be Romans? Hence, even those who
do not flee to the barbarians are forced to be barbarians.
Such is a great portion of the Spaniards and not the least
portion of the Gauls, and, finally, all those throughout the
whole Roman world whom Roman wickedness has compelled
not to be Romans. |
| Quotation source |
Lib. 5, Cap. 2-5 (pp. 56-9, trans. O'Sullivan, pp. 129-36) |
| Temporal Coverage |
439 - 451 |
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| Comment |
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